Henry VIII was King of England from April 21, 1509 until his death on January 28, 1547.

Historically, he is well remembered for his 6 wives: Catherine
of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard
and Katherine Parr.

His life and times have been widely studied, as one of the most intriguing kings in English history.

The
king's role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman
Catholic Church changed the face of religion in England, and has had a
lasting effect that is still felt around the world today.

His struggles with Rome lead to the separation of the Church of
England from papal authority, establishing himself as the Supreme Head
of the Church of England.

Henry VIII is also remembered as "one of the most charismatic
rulers to sit on the throne of England", as well as a keen patron of the
arts, himself being an author and composer.

Description & history

The signed document is addressed to John Heron, the Treasurer of the Chamber. In it King Henry VIII informs him:

"Richard Gresham of oure Citie of London with other stonde
bounde by obligacion for the payment to oure use of the somme of Sixe
hundred thirty seven poundes and ten shillynges at a certayn daie
expired".

Henry VIII orders that "for certayne consideracions us
movyng" and informs Heron that the payment of this sum should be delayed
for two years upon existing sureties from Gresham, and that Heron
should retain Gresham's bond.

The sum of money involved is considerable: £637 10s, which equates to £3,940,000 today, based on the average earnings index.

At the time of the loan, the 29 year old Richard Gresham was a
major English cloth merchant trading in Antwerp. He served as the Lord Mayor of London, a Member of Parliament and was a major financier to the crown - an extremely influential figure.

The loan from Henry VIII allowed Gresham to found the House of
Gresham, one of the most celebrated mercantile and financial houses of
the 16th Century.

His son, Sir Thomas Gresham, further increased the family fortune and
founded the Royal Exchange in the City of London, and Gresham College,
an independently funded educational institution in central London.

As this document describes the loan that helped Gresham found his empire, it is of the utmost importance. Gresham's influence on London is still felt to this day.

Provenance

The document once formed part of the collection of Sir Thomas
Phillipps, a British Baronet who amassed the largest collection of
manuscript material in the 19th Century.
His chief collecting rival was the British Library - a testament to the value of his collection.

Rarity

Henry VIII is recognised globally due to his role in the
historically important changes to the Catholic Church and his somewhat
unorthodox approach to marriage. It is thus not surprising that items
related to him are highly sought after by collectors of both historical
and royal memorabilia.

It is not surprising that only a limited number of documents
have survived the 460+ years since Henry VIII's reign and documents of
this quality are exceptionally rare.

Due to Henry VIII's historical significance, many items related
to his reign are kept in institutions such as British Library, The
National Archives and the British Museum, and are unlikley to reappear
on the collectors' market.